Lucy
by stuckbeingrachel
Summary: Follow the journey Jerome and Mara Clarke venture into when they lose the most important thing in the world to them. A story of love, hurt, comfort, friendship, and family. Jara, Peddie, Amfie, Fabina, Moy, and KT/OC! Future! AU!
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I got this idea while reading a book and I had it stuck in my brain all night last night, and I wrote it this morning. So, I hope y'all enjoy!**

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The murmurs of accusatory words soon rose to shouts and screams. One single word had started the whole thing. They were a happy couple before that had happened. It broke both of them. Their married lives went from I-can't-live-without-you to you-loved-her-more-than-me. Neither of them knew how it happened, or why. They lost it, happiness, love, their marriage, and their lives. Their friends had stayed but they kept their distance, letting the couple work things out. They weren't working things out though.

"You died when Lucy did!" Mara screamed, tears streaming down her tan cheeks. Her chest heaved with deep breaths as she struggled to suck them in; exhausted from the screaming she'd been doing the last few minutes.

"So did you! You smothered yourself in you music to hide your feelings!" Jerome retorted, blonde hair falling into his blue eyes, and he brushed it away angrily.

"You completely shut me out of your life; you spent all of your time on work! What do you really do on those late nights?" Mara asked, accusingly.

Jerome's eyes flamed. Was she accusing him of cheating on her? All his life he'd done many things to Mara but cheating was not one of them. It hadn't even crossed his mind. He decided to change the subject, he wanted to win this argument, and he wanted Mara to see things his way for once.

"At least you got to be with her!" he shouted. "I held her for a minute! She died in my arms, Mara! I remember everything; she had brown hair and tan skin and she was too small to be healthy enough to live! You held her lounger! You got to know who she was! She opened her eyes to look at you, Mara; what color were they? You never told me!" he cried, hands clenched into fists at his chest in desperation. His eyes burned with unshed tears and his throat constricted, cutting off his breathing.

Mara shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand, running out of the room. Jerome heard her steps going up the steps, down the hall, and to the master bedroom that they no longer share.

Running a hand through his hair, he grabbed his coat and stormed out of the house. He slid into the front seat of his car and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel, finally feeling like he could just fall apart. The salty tears that he hadn't let go since Mara had proposed a divorce. He had agreed. Though he couldn't imagine life without Mara, he knew she wasn't happy, and because he loved her, he was going to do it. He was dying again because of the divorce; he'd died the first time when Lucy had passed away, mere minutes after she'd been born. Jerome and Mara's eyes, usually filled with joy and love, had gone dull and lifeless, because that's how they felt.

Jerome wiped his tears away and started the car, pulling out of the driveway and racing down the street. He soon reached his destination and parked the car, getting out slowly. He always came here; he couldn't handle the pain that crushed him when he looked at the engraved stone but he needed to see her. He knew that Mara never came, she really couldn't handle it. The first time he'd brought her, trying to calm her guilty nerves, she'd started thrashing and screaming. She had lost her daughter and it was too much on her heart for her to handle.

On the other side of the cemetery, there was garden of roses, where the grave was. The rows of roses bordered the grave stone. The stone was white marble and was as tall as Jerome's waist, with a little angel on the top of it. Her eyes closed as she lay on the top, wings sitting on her back elegantly. Jerome knew he didn't have any flowers, and he felt terrible about it, but he just needed to be with her. He sank down to his knees and traced the engraved name, _Lucy Mae Clarke. _

"What color were your eyes, darling?" he whispered, tears filling his red eyes once again.

"Blue," a voice whispered. It sounded hurt and broken. Jerome jumped back and looked around, Mara stood behind him with bloodshot eyes and hair tangled, biting her bottom lip. She slowly sat down next to him, almost cautiously, and reached up wiping one of his tears away from his cheek. She stared into his eyes, the ones she'd fallen in love with, the ones she hoped she'd never stop loving. She hasn't yet but she knew that he was going to stop loving her; maybe he already had? "Her eyes were blue, just like yours."

Jerome reached up and gripped her hand in his, holding it against his cheek so she couldn't stop touching him. He draped that arm over his shoulder and pushed her long fingers into his hair. He looked into her deep brown eyes and let out a sort of choked sob.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She replied.

"I am so sorry, I just—"

"I know…me too."

"Mara, let's…let's try again."

"But you said you don't want to risk that."

"This time, it'll happen; I promise. I'll make sure of it. We'll have a happy, healthy baby and everything will work out, I swear It." he said quickly.

Mara looked at Lucy's grave stone and ran the tips of her fingers over the angel's wings and sighed. She took her husband's hand and entwined their fingers, throwing a loving glance behind them as she pulled him to their cars.

"Let's go home, alright?"

* * *

"I missed you, Clarke," Mara whispered, snuggling up closer to Jerome, wearing nothing but pure white bed sheets.

"I missed you too, Clarke." He replied, ecstatic when she didn't pull away from him when he used their shared last name.

"I know I'm pregnant," she said softly, tracing a small pattern on Jerome's bare chest. "I can feel it."

"So can I, Mara, I've always had a way at sensing these sorts of things." He smiled, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She had always let her finger glide across his pale skin as they laid there in bed and he always let her. It tickled and gave him chills, but it was something that comforted him. It told him that they were going to last forever, through anything.

"Do you know the gender?"

"It's a surprise." he answered.

"So, you don't know." she said knowingly.

"Yeah." he nodded. He felt Mara smile against his side and he pulled her in tighter to him. He kissed the top of her head as she drifted off to sleep. As Jerome slowly fell into the land of dreams, he wondered to himself if Lucy would be okay with this. But with the sudden smile on his face, he felt that she didn't really mind, and that she wanted her parents to be happy.

* * *

**Yep. I actually started crying while I thought out this scene and my parents started freaking out. We had been watching a really funny movie at the time and it's kinda weird when your crazy daughter starts crying during one of her favorite funny movies. I had explained why I was crying to them and they let it go, but they kept giving me weird looks the rest of the night. **

**I thought of it as a bit of a tear jerker. What think you?**

**Review?**

_**As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. -Psalm 103:13**_

**-Rachel**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes, Lucy is going to be a multi-chapter! Enjoy this chapter, yeah? :)**

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"Dude, I am so glad you two worked everything out. I got kind of scared for a second there. I thought you two were going to break up for good. You make a fantastic couple and it'd be a shame to lose it! Amber almost died when she found out about the divorce. You're lucky, she was going to create a serenade sort of thing and try to get you two back together." Alfie grinned at his best friend from across the table.

He, Jerome, Eddie, Fabian, and Mick all sat around Eddie's kitchen table. It was their monthly guy's night in. The girls went out while they stayed at home. It had been an arrangement that their wives had made for them when they first moved back to Liverpool to be together again. They decided that living in the same neighborhood, on the same street, across from each other's houses, would be a great idea. And it had turned to be one of their best ideas. They were even closer than they ever were in school. They were a family; one big, happy family.

"Yeah, Patricia was pretty upset about it, too." Eddie spoke up, boredly shuffling a deck of playing cards.

They had planned to play a few rounds of poker, but Jerome had promised Mara he wouldn't risk any money on 'such a pointless game'. Jerome rarely lost the games but he swore he wouldn't play. When he had told his friends so, it resulted in all four of them, pulling out their cell phones and activating a whip sound effect from an app, causing Jerome to roll his eyes at the thing that had backfired on him.

"_Trixie_ was upset about Mara and I almost breaking up? Hmm, interesting. I think that would qualify as blackmailing material." Jerome mumbled, taking out his phone and typing down the information on a memo pad.

"Yesterday, I came home to Joy sitting on the couch, sobbing into a tub of chocolate ice cream, watching some stupid teen pregnancy show, where one of the main characters lost their newborn baby." Mick rolled his blue eyes at Hollywood's idea of entertainment.

"Are you sure she wasn't just crying about the show?" Fabian asked, sipping from his glass of water, careful not to accidently pick up one of the four beers that were on the table. He was never one for drinking.

"Yes, she kept wailing, 'Why? Why? Why did it have to happen? They made a perfect couple! Lucy should have brought them together, instead of push them away from each other!'" Mick cried in a high-pitched voice, arms flailing about wildly.

His friends chuckled at him before everything fell into another comfortable silence.

"But I think that's true. Mara and I are a lot closer than we were before. We know each other better, we're even more comfortable to talk than before, and I possibly even love her even more than I did before." Jerome sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"It makes sense; it takes a strong couple to get through something so tough." Fabian stated with a smile. He looked down at his phone as it beeped, signaling a new text message. "I need to go; Nina wants me to pick up the kids." He sighed, standing, and walking to the door.

The others held up their phones and activated the whipping sound, which caused them to laugh and a light blush tint Fabian's cheeks.

"Shut up…" he muttered and left the house.

Eddie stood. "I need to head out too. Patricia's been really moody lately; it's kinda scaring me.

"Maybe she's pregnant." Alfie suggested with a wink.

"Hahahaha," the blonde froze for a moment when the thought finally sunk in. "Great. Another nine months of pure torture."

"Hahahaha." Jerome teased, a mischievous glint swimming in his blue orbs.

"Hey, don't make fun; remember when she was giving birth to Lacey? She broke my arm during labor."

"Oh, yeah," Jerome grinned. "That was actually really funny."

"And painful. Later." he saluted and downed the rest of his beer.

"Woah, calm down, mate, you sure you'll be able to walk back to your house?" Mick grinned. "I'll escort you."

"Dude, I'm fine," the American chuckled but let the shorter blonde follow him out of the house.

"And then there were two." Jerome mumbled and sipped his beer.

Alfie turned to his best friend and grinned. "So, if Mara does get pregnant, and if it's a boy, what are you going to name him?"

Jerome raised an eyebrow at his dark-skinned friend and chuckled. "I don't know, Mara's not pregnant, or else she would have told me, and we always agree on the name."

"But a suggestion," Alfie prompted.

"Matthew," Jerome said after a minute.

"And a girl…?"

Jerome's heart wrenched. He had never really thought about that. If they did have another girl what would they name her? Could they really have another girl and love her as much as Lucy? Jerome suspected that they could, but he wasn't sure. How would Mara feel about having another girl?

"Jerome, you alright, you kinda zoned out." Alfie asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Alfie apologized softly, slouching in his seat awkwardly.

"Alfie, what if Mara and I just can't have kids? Or at least living kids. Do you think it's possible that we'll never have a child of our own, and we'll have to adopt? I won't be able to handle that. I want Mara to be happy, and she wants a baby—"

"Just, as much as you do."

"Yes, but could it have anything to do with me—"

"Alright, you need to get that out of your head, and don't you dare suggest divorcing Mara and letting her go to someone that can give her a family. And don't say you've never thought about that, because I know you do. Dude, you and Mara both want kids, and if you can't have them together, you'd go for adoption. You want to have a family together no matter what. Mara would be happy with any kind of kid you'd give her. You're also being just like Mara about this. It was not your fault; it was not Mara's fault. It just happened. Miscarriages happen all the time. It wasn't your fault. It happened, and it happened for a reason. You said it yourself, it brought you two closer together, don't let it tear you apart. And don't be stupid."

Jerome stared at him silently.

"What?" Alfie scoffed.

"Nothing," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I've got to go as well. You gonna be okay by yourself? Isn't Mini-Alfie coming home in like, ten minutes?"

"Yeah, I need to keep the cookies away from him, or else Amber will have a cow." Alfie rolled his eyes.

"Why does she make cookies _before_ meals, if they aren't going to last until _after _meals? Make them afterwards." Jerome shrugged, standing up and slipping on his grey blazer.

"I don't know, I suggested it!" his friend defended himself.

"I'll see you later, Alfighto." The blonde chuckled, sending him a wink and heading for the door.

"Remember what I said, Jerome Clarke, don't be stupid!" Alfie called out to him as he crossed his yard to his own house.

"Thank you, Alfie Lewis; I needed everyone from here to China to know I'm being stupid!" Jerome hollered back.

Jerome ignored Alfie's lame comeback and hung up is coat on the rack as he stepped into his house. He bounded up the stairs to the bedroom he and Mara now shared again. He whipped his black tie off his neck and left it on the back of the rocking chair that was set at the foot of their bed. He felt like taking a quick shower, to clear his mind and help him think more clearly.

The warm water and steam did him good. He felt clean. Big whoop. He wanted to know the answer to his questions.

He planted his hands on the bathroom counter and took a deep breath, watching silently as the steam slowly left the mirror, allowing him to see himself. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes once he could see himself clearly. He ran a comb through his blonde hair, only to have it fall back over his forehead a second later. His hair was a lot longer than people thought it was. If it was wet, or he didn't style it, it just swept over his face. No one knew that, except for Mara and Alfie.

As he slipped into a brand new pair of jeans, he froze, looking down at the trash bin beside the sink. It looked disgusting, he knew that much, but he bent down and peered into the bin. And possibly, one of the biggest grins ever smiled, grew on his face.

* * *

"That's so fantastic, Patricia!" Amber squealed, hugging her friend tightly.

"Yeah, thanks, Amber, but I've been pregnant before; don't really think it's the best experience of my life." the auburn haired woman chuckled, pushing her away.

"Does Eddie know?" Mara asked, sipping from her tea.

"No, not yet, he just thinks that I'm mad at him about something. No one tell him, I'll do it myself."

"Do you want to do it before or after I tell Jerome that I'm pregnant?"

The women froze.

"What did you just say?" Joy asked, a grin slowly forming on her face.

"I'm pregnant." Mara repeated calmly, knowing that in a moment, they would all squeal their heads off. Well, except for Patricia. She may be a mother, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get annoyed by "girly" things.

"And you haven't told Jerome." Nina said, once they had settled down from the news.

"No…"

"Didn't he say he wanted to try again? Wasn't he the one that convinced you to? Why keep it a secret?" Amber questioned.

"I'm not keeping it from him; I'm going to tell him tonight."

"Oh, have something special planned, eh?"

The girls jumped and turned to glare at Eddie, who leaned against the doorjamb of the living room, arms crossed over his chest, suggestive look on his handsome face.

"How long have you been standing there, Cockroach?" Patricia demanded, narrowing her eyes at her husband.

"Just long enough to hear that Mara's pregnant. Congrats, little girl; Jerry will be happy. What are you all doing here anyway? I thought today girls' day out?" he raised an eyebrow at the women.

"Yeah, we decided to stay in." Joy shrugged,

"'Kay, have fun, I'm headed upstairs." He smiled, advancing toward them, only to swoop down and kiss Patricia's forehead, making her bat him away, and then walking back out of the room.

"Well, then, I think I'll head back to my place since the guys must be finished." Mara stated as she stood, smoothing out her purple blouse.

"Okay, see you later, and congratulations, again!" Amber grinned, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her close.

"Thank you, Amber." Mara smiled.

She hugged the rest of them and congratulated Patricia on her pregnancy one more time. "Love, you guys, I'll see you later."

"Good luck!" Joy called as the raven haired woman left the house.

She pulled her coat tighter around her. It wasn't necessarily cold, but she felt nervous, and the most she could do was play with her coat. She didn't have a pencil to bite, or a table to rap her finger tips on, or music to sooth her rapidly beating heart. She was going to do it. She was going to tell Jerome that she was pregnant. And she hoped that he would be happy like Eddie had said.

He could have had second thoughts over the past few days. He could be upset over Lucy again. He could be at home, nearly in tears. Mara's pace picked up without realizing it. She wanted to comfort her husband, and make sure he was okay.

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**You know the drill! And if you don't...click that review button and tell me that this story will be totally awesome! **

**I don't know how long this will go on. But, I have ideas for future chapters. **

_**For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:21**_

**-Rachel**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy?**

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"Jerome?" Mara called, hanging up her coat and scarf. Her brown eye flitted to the stairs, hoping he'd come down. When he didn't, she checked the living room and then the kitchen.

Suddenly, she was lifted off the floor by her waist and spun around. In the surprise of being tackled, she shrieked. She was then set back on the floor and spun around so she was facing her husband. He was grinning like an idiot. His eyes were sparked with an electric blue she hadn't seen in a long time.

"What's got into you?"

"I am the happiest man on earth." He replied.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because…you are my wife, and you are the most amazing woman in the world, and you're my wife, no one else's. I love you."

"I love you, too. What's going on?"

"Oh, I don't know…" he shrugged, tickling her sides. She giggled and squirmed, batting his hands away from her.

She asked her question again once he stopped and he denied having a real reason for his happiness. He figured that since she hadn't told him yet, that she might be planning something, just like when she had told him the first time.

"Okay, well, I've got some stuff to do. I'll be in the study."

"Have fun," he grinned and pressed his lips to hers.

"I will." She chuckled, pushing away from him, and headed down the hallway to their study.

Mara shut the door softly behind her and took her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed Amber's number quickly.

"Hey, Mars, how's it going with planning your special night?"

"Fine, but, Amber, I'm worried."

"Why, what happened?" the blonde was suddenly alert on the other end.

"What if Jerome doesn't want to have the baby?"

"But he's the one that suggested trying again."

"Yes, I know, but what if he had changed his mind?"

"In the past few weeks? I doubt it. But, Mara, come on, this is Jerome we're talking about. Once he sets his mind on something, he'll do anything in his power to go through with it, and he wants another baby."

"Yeah, but what if he changes his mind during the pregnancy? Or after the baby is born?"

"Or what if you stop thinking about the what ifs? Honey, you're putting too much thought into this. Jerome loves you. You love Jerome. You two got through one of the hardest things in the history of the galaxy. Enough said. I don't think you should think about it anymore. Just tell him, see how he reacts, and then take it from there. Please, for the first time in your life, just go with the flow. Don't plan ahead." Amber sighed tiredly.

"I'm sorry, am I annoying you?" Mara asked sheepishly.

"No, Alfie and Tommy are driving me crazy! I found them chowing down on cookies in the coat closet not ten minutes ago. Alfie told me he would let him do that anymore, but instead, he does it as well."

"Your life sounds so much more interesting than mine, Amber."

"Yeah, but your life is easier than mine. All you have to do is tell Jerome that you're pregnant; I have to keep cookies from _two_ Alfies. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" Amber exclaimed.

Mara bit her lip to keep from laughing. Ever since Tommy had been born, Amber had gotten a little stressed. It was when the boy got a little older when Amber saw the light of the situation, but that didn't mean that she wasn't even more stressed. She loved the boy to bits, but couldn't stand him at times.

"Mara's pregnant?!"

Mara's eyes went wide.

"Alfie, quiet! No, Alfie, wait, don't call Jerome!" Amber ordered.

Mara pulled the phone away from her ear as Amber's clanked against something and the couple on the other end began yelling and screaming. The words jumble together and Mara had trouble trying to decipher what they were saying. Amber's phone was picked up and a sigh came from the other end.

"Mara, you're on speaker, Alfie is also in the room."

"Okay, Alfie, please, do not call Jerome. He doesn't know, and I want to tell him tonight."

"Oh…fine…how are you going to tell him?"

"None of your business, Alfie." she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, but don't worry about him not wanting another kid."

"Why?"

"We talked about it; he wants another one really bad. And he's having debates with himself whether or not it's him. That he might be the reason you can't have kids. He's also thinking about breaking up with you so you can be with someone that can give you a family. And he's also been thinking about sperm donors—"

"Okay, Alfie, let's stop talking now." Amber suggested. The phone was moved again and Mara bit her lip. "You're off speaker, Mara."

"Amber, is he serious?" she asked quietly.

"It sure seems like it…"

"Okay, thank you for talking to me; I'll let all of you know how it turns out. Love you."

"Love you too, Mars, good luck!" Amber squealed and the other line clicked, signaling the call was over.

Mara blew out a small breath, leaning back in the leather chair she sat in. Hopefully, Alfie was right.

* * *

"Did the girls leave?" Eddie asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

Patricia sat down on their bed and nodded, leaning back on the many pillows, and closing her green eyes. She felt the bed shift under her husband's weight and then the popping sound of a cork being unplugged from its bottle, and her eyes shot open. The aroma of the champagne filled the room and she gagged, covering her mouth with her hand, and running out of the room to the bathroom.

"What, I'm thirsty!" he called after her. He smirked. He knew that would work.

"Why would you get out champagne, doofus?" she growled once she had finished her retching.

"Because I thought you'd like to celebrate Jerome and Mara's pregnancy."

She stared at him blankly.

"Or maybe ours?" he suggested, standing and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"How'd you know?" she asked after a thought.

"Because you're—" he motioned to her body.

"I'm what?" she demanded, glaring, hands on her hips.

"Glowing," he finished, kissing her cheek.

She pursed her lips.

"Alright, let's go watch a movie and have some ice cream—"

"With pickles,"

"Right, with pickles," he chuckled, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs to their common room.

* * *

**...review? :)**

_**And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. -Hebrews 10:19-23**_

**-Rachel**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I disappeared for a while, but I had been grounded. So, I'm sorry this update took forever, I'm working on finishing some things so I can focus more on my newest multi-chapters. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Nina," Fabian smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Nina looked at her husband warily and reached out, pulling a slimy, blue substance out of his shaggy brown hair. "What is this?"

"Um, ha, funny story—"

"Fabian."

"I couldn't control them, Nina. I think their genes skipped a generation, I really do. They are nothing like you and me."

"Fabian, they're kids, they're going to be like this whether they have our genes or not. And all you have to do is put your foot down. And whatever they did couldn't be that bad—oh my, Anubis…" she said quietly.

One of the three children noticed her mother and smiled, waving happily. She was the child version of Nina, green eyes and light brown hair with a rosy hue on her pale cheeks. She was five years old and the twin sister of Louisa, while their younger brother Robert was three and had the same features as his father.

"Sarah, what is in your hair?" Nina fussed, running to kneel in front of her daughter. Louisa seemed to be as clean as a whistle while Robert and Sarah were both covered in whatever was clinging to them. "Fabian, what is this stuff?"

"It's Jell-O, mommy," Louisa explained, hands clasped innocently in front of her, green eyes glowing.

"Jell-O; that is not Jell-O, this is...the offspring of the mold that's growing on Mrs. Wanes' abandoned tomato plants." Nina groaned, referring to their kooky next door neighbor, a sweet, old woman that could never take care of her plants by herself, but would never let anyone help her.

"Nina, I'll take care of this. Go relax," said Fabian.

"Fabian…"

"We'll handle it, go on." he pushed her toward the doorway gently.

"Okay, but call me if you need anything—"

"Will do," He nodded.

Once she was climbing the steps to the second floor, he turned to the kids and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, guys, let's do this and then make mommy a snack, okay?"

* * *

"Hey, babes," Mick smiled, pecking Joy's cheek.

"Hey, how's it going with the guys?" she asked without looking up from the cucumber she was cutting.

"They're fine; what about the girls?" he asked, sitting on the counter and popping a crouton in his mouth.

Joy batted his hands away from the salad and shook her head before answering. "Patricia and Mara are pregnant. But don't tell anyone, it's a secret."

"They're both pregnant? Wow, that's crazy. What if they went into labor on the same day?" he chuckled.

Joy sighed.

"What is it, Joyful?"

"Nothing, it's just…" her husband raised his eyebrows expectantly. "All of our friends have had kids or are having kids and it's making me feel left out. I want a baby."

"You want a kid." He said slowly.

She nodded her head.

"Joy, I—"

"Don't you want a baby with me?" she cut him off. He wasn't using the right tone of voice. He was using the tone that told her he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"No, it's not that—"

"Then what is it?"

He watched her for a second before replying. "I just think that we need to wait awhile."

"'Wait awhile'?" she asked. "Mick, we've been married for almost two years."

"Joy, I think two and a half to three years is a good amount of time to get used to just you and me. And we don't really want to have to worry about having a baby running around the house."

"I want to worry about that."

"Joy, let's not fight about this right now, yeah? I need to go train." He brushed past her, guilt weighing on his broad shoulders.

Joy ran a hand through her hair, tears forming in her brown eyes. That wasn't supposed to happen.

* * *

"Hey, J," Mara said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind.

Jerome was sat at the dining room table, cleaning his best camera. He smiled, goosebumps erupting on his arms when her warm breath brushed his ear. He put the camera lense down and leaned back in his chair. "Hey, M," he replied.

"How are you doing?" she asked, kissing his cheek.

"Great, now that you're here." He answered sweetly.

She grinned against his neck, kissing him again.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked, though he knew full well what was going on.

"I just wanted to let my husband know how much I love him." she told him and unbuttoned the first and second buttons of his blue shirt.

Jerome smirked and stood up, turning to her. "Whoa, hello, Clarke," he breathed, blue eyes wide as he stared at her.

Mara smiled lovingly, hands on her hips. "You always said that the sexiest thing a woman could wear is her husband's favorite shirt." the first few buttons of the light purple dress shirt were undone and the hem came mid-thigh.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck again and his hands found her sides, drawing her into him. He swooped down and kissed her neck, pulling the collar of the shirt away from her shoulders, and pressing butterfly kisses onto her burning skin.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I'm pregnant." She stated as a reply. His kisses stopped. She tensed and her grip on his shoulders tightened.

"I know," he grinned, nipping at her skin.

"You know?" she arched an eyebrow but didn't pull away.

"You should really hide the evidence next time you take seven pregnancy tests." He stated and whispered huskily, "I love you," as he leant in and kissed her again.

* * *

**The next chapter will probably come sooner since I've started outlining my stories. **

_**If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. -James 1:5**_

**Review? **

**-Rachel**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, I know, I know, I've been taking forever with updating everything, and I'm really sorry! I have an explanation though! First, I was sick the last few days, so I couldn't write. Second, I've been doing extra school so I won't have to do a bunch of it during the summer. And third, I've been caught up in reading a bunch of books I found on Wattpad. ****That's it. **

**So, again, I'm sorry, and I will try to update as soon as I can! Enjoy this chapter though!**

**Oh, also, if you guys could do me a hugemongo favor, could you look for a young (like, early-20s) picture of Rita Davies? She played Sarah Frobisher-Smythe. Now, it is kind of a weird request, but I'm working on a oneshot for her and I need a young picture of her. So...if you find one, please PM me! Thank you! :)**

* * *

"Alright, I'm off." Jerome sighed, standing up and setting his cleared plate in the sink. "I will see you at lunch, my beautiful wife."

"Last night, you said I was gorgeous." Mara pointed out teasingly, a dark eyebrow arched as she stood in the middle of their kitchen, wrapped in his arms.

"You're breathtakingly gorgeous." He whispered burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"Mara," Joy's small voice rang as she entered the house.

"Ugh, I just want to be alone." Jerome groaned into Mara's neck.

"We were alone last night." She stated, rolling her brown eyes.

"Good thing, too, huh?" he chuckled smugly, which caused her to blush.

"You need to get to work."

"I can call in sick." He suggested, kissing her neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" Joy asked shyly.

"Yes—" Jerome started.

"No, Jerome was just leaving." Mara replied, pulling away from him. She pecked his lips and pushed him toward the door. "Have a good day." she sang.

"Fine," he huffed. He smiled and kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Thanks, Killjoy." He snapped quietly as he stepped past her.

"So, Joy, what's going on?" Mara asked with a smile, but it faded into a worried frown when she took a good look at her friend, tear stains trekking down her tan cheeks. "Joy, what's wrong?"

"Mick and I kind of had a fight." She replied as Mara led her to the couch.

"About?"

"Wanting a baby," Joy answered, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"Mick told me that we should wait longer before we try for a baby. But, Mara, we've been married for two years; I don't want to wait any longer. You and Jerome tried a few months into your marriage. I want what you guys have, and what the others have. I want a family, but Mick doesn't."

"Joy, you can't compare your relationship to ours. And maybe he's just scared? Jerome was scared and worried when I told him that I was pregnant the first time. Just give him some time."

"I did though; I don't want to wait."

"When Jerome and I decided to try, we had agreed on it because we both wanted family. We wanted a baby. We had decided on it together. We were both ready and willing."

"But—"

"Compromise with your husband, Joy," Mara instructed.

* * *

"Daddy, don't touch it!" Lacey scolded.

"Touch what?" Eddie asked innocently.

The four-year-old gave him a look he had seen so many times on his wife's face. Lacey's brown hair fell down past her shoulders in wavy curls. Her green eyes held specks of blue just like her mother's. She had inherited looks and personality from bother her parents, also having a half-British-half-American accent.

"Daddy, it's mine, don't touch It." she ordered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her father denied, pressing one of the ivory piano keys down again.

"You just did it!" she glared.

"What's going on in here?" Patricia demanded, strutting into the room.

"She keeps accusing me of touching the piano, when I am not." Eddie scoffed, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

Patricia and Lacey both gave him identical are-you-kidding-me looks and his eyes went wide as they flitted between them quickly.

"Oh my, gosh, they're ganging up on me." he whimpered.

"You bet we are." Lacey let her father's smirk creep onto her pale face, which caused Eddie to smile and grab her, pulling her into his lap. He kissed the top of her head.

"We want to talk to you, baby."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Well, see, you are going to be a big sister soon." Patricia told her, speaking softly.

Lacey's eyes grew wide. "You mean, I'm gonna have a little sister?" she asked excitedly.

"Or brother," Eddie added.

"I want a sister."

"Well, I want a brother."

"You do have a brother; Uncle Ben?"

"No, I mean, a brother for you. I want a son. I'll need someone to carry the family name; I can't do it forever."

"You want the name 'Sweet' to be carried through history, starting with you?" Patricia asked with a smirk.

"No, 'Miller', Yacker; you know what I mean."

"When will the baby get here?" Lacey asked, cutting into her parents' playful bickering.

"We don't know for sure." Patricia replied, making a face at her husband after he did the same to her.

"Well, when did you order it?"

Eddie chuckled.

"About two weeks ago, I think?" Patricia mumbled thoughtfully.

"So, what is the normal shipping wait?" for a four-year-old, she was extremely smart. Her parents often jokingly wondered where her intellect came from.

"About nine months, give or take a few days."

Lacey's eyes widened once more this time, instead of excitement, it was shock. "Nine months? That's outrageous! That's practically a year! You should really consider paying extra for overnight shipping."

Eddie laughed and kissed her cheek. "Trust me, babe, if that was available, we would pounce on it—"

"Excuse me?" Patricia arched an eyebrow at him.

"What, just last night you said you didn't want to go through pregnancy again." the American defended himself.

"That's called hormones genius, I was in a crabby mood!"

"Like you are now." He said.

"Yes, like I am no—hey!"

"What?"

"Don't you dare start with me, Eddie Krueger!" she growled.

Lacey got up from her father's lap, stepping away from the couple as they bickered. She watched them in amusement. She knew that they'd end up kissing in a short while.

"What are you talking about? All I said was that you're crabby." He shrugged innocently.

"But, I'm not crabby!" she snapped, jumping him.

He fell backwards on the hardwood floor and let the angry red-head above him push his shoulders down. His hands gripped her sides as her legs straddled his waist, trying to convince him she wasn't crabby.

"But, I'm not crabby!" she protested with a hurt expression.

Eddie sighed. Her mood swings were probably the worst that any man, woman or beast would ever have to deal with, but he still loved her to death. And these mood swings also gave him a chance to do things she wouldn't normally let him do. "I'm sorry, baby; you want me to make you something to eat?"

"Can you make some pancakes?" she asked hesitantly, almost shyly.

"Sure, why don't you and Lace color some pictures while I do that?" he suggested, sitting up but keeping her in his lap as he rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Okay," she murmured, looking at their now entwined hands.

"Alright," Eddie grinned happily and pecked her lips lightly.

* * *

"No, Tommy, stop eating bugs!" Alfie scolded, widening his brown eyes in warning.

"Sorry, dad," the six-year-old mumbled in shame, dropping the beetle, watching it wiggle on its back when it fell the short trip to the dirt. He easily tipped it back to its legs and it scurried away from him.

"Your mum really shouldn't have taken those cookies away…" Alfie noted.

"I agree!" Tommy piped, running a hand over his dark brown hair.

Tommy looked a lot like his father, with a few features here and there that resembled his mother. One of the things that Tommy had to deal with as the oldest boy amongst the children of the Anubis gang was not having any friends his age. Sure, there was Lacey, Sarah, and Louisa, but they were girls; and then there was Robert, but he was three and couldn't do a lot of the things he could do. He felt left out at times when the girls would play or when Robert would play with them without a care in the world. He wanted a friend, and he searched for one, but he never found one that could handle the weirdness he had inherited from his father.

Alfie looked up from his son after a moment when he saw a boy running toward him. He had tan skin and shaggy brown hair, falling into his green eyes. He looked to be about five or six years old, but he wasn't very tall for his age.

"Hey, I'm Josh, wanna play with me?" he asked bluntly, question directed at Tommy.

He looked up and an Alfie grin slipped onto his face. "Sure."

As the two boys ran off to the playground, Alfie scratched his head in confusion and amazement.

"Sorry, I hope that's okay. He looked like he needed someone to play with." A voice chuckled nervously.

Alfie turned to the woman with the dark skin and dark brown, curly hair. Her brown eyes were bright with care and happiness, and then recognition flashed across them.

"Alfie?" she gasped.

"KT…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh my, gosh!" she laughed.

They reached out and hugged each other in shock and glee.

"How are you?" Alfie grinned when they pulled away.

"Great! What about you? A father, husband—who's the lucky girl?"

"Amber,"

"What happened to Willow?" she asked with a chuckle, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, after a while, Willow and I realized that even though we're a good match, our relationship was the same way through the months we were together. It never really changed, or had any problems. And even though it was never boring, we wanted to see people that were a little different. So, about a year after our break up, I run into Amber, and the rest is history…" he took a deep breath after his long explanation and KT giggled.

"Well, congrats; what about the others?"

"Well, Jerome and Joy eventually broke up when they figured out that they were just using each other unconsciously to fill the void of not having anyone at all, and also because they sort of lost the friendship they had before they started dating. So, Jerome and Mara are married, Joy and Mick are married, Patricia and Eddie are married—"

"Obviously." She cut in with a teasing smirk.

"And Fabian and Nina are back together. Everyone lives on the same street, so we see each other all the time. What about you; how are things?" he asked, stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his blue jeans.

"Well, my husband, Derrek, and Josh, and I just moved into a house down the street for Derrek's job."

"Oh, what does he do?"

"He's the CEO of Anderson Electronics; he inherited the company when his father passed away."

"Oh, Jerome buys a lot of stuff from that company. Usually some type of camera."

"What does Jerome do?"

"He's a photographer. He started that after a few years of modeling."

"Wow, so everyone's been doing pretty well, huh?"

"Yeah, really well; what street did you move onto?"

"St. Johnson, a five minute walk from here—"

"Man, it doesn't matter if we're in Anubis or not, we're still brought together. That's the street we all live on. I know it may sound crazy, but everyone that ever lived in Anubis House will always be in touch, and somehow brought back together."

"I understand, even if it does sound crazy." KT giggled.

Alfie grinned and turned to his son. "Hey, no, Tommy, don't eat the bug! I warned you about that already. And don't try to rope Josh into eating any either."

"But, dad, I'm hungry!" Tommy protested, dropping another beetle.

Alfie took a deep breath and turned to KT again. "Sorry, we'll have to talk later. I need to get some food into the bottomless pit I call a son. Just, um, if you wanna talk to anyone from the House, I'm sure you'll figure out who lives where, or you can just walk up to each door and let them know you're new. The others will be so happy to see you."

"Alright, great, I'll see you later. Good luck with Tommy." She laughed, giving him a one-armed hug.

"Thanks," he mumbled with a roll of his eyes, and walked off with his son.

* * *

**Yes, yes, I did just drag KT into the story. I don't know why, but I wanted to. So...yeah, review? **

**_Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13_**

**-Rachel**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, this chapter sucks eggs. It's obviously a filler. I felt like I needed to update something other than TTOR, and this was already practically finished so...enjoy...?**

* * *

"KT is living down the street from us?" Amber squealed. "Oh, that is just perfect! I'm going to set up a night where everyone can go and get something to eat and talk! Omigosh! This is going to be so much fun! An old girlfriend and a new guy-friend for you men; I love it!"—she squealed again—"I need to tell the others."

Alfie let his wife carry on with her rambling and smiled, taking a bite of the oatmeal-raisin cookie she allowed him to have after bringing her this wonderful news.

She continued jumping around like a teenage fangirl as she dialed her friends' numbers, chattering excitedly when each picked up. Alfie could hear Mara's excitement as she told Jerome; Joy's ecstatic voice when she said she couldn't wait to see KT again; Patricia's growl of annoyance for interrupting her meal and coloring with her daughter, but happy to see KT again, nonetheless; and Nina telling Amber how excited she was to see her fellow American again.

"Yeah, and apparently she's married to some CEO of a technology company. I bet he's gorgeous,"—Alfie's head snapped around to look at her with wide eyes—"but of course I'd never look at another man like I do my Boo." She giggled when she saw his expression.

"Mum, what's for dinner?" Tommy asked, hopping into the room.

"Hold on a second, bud, she's on the phone." Alfie spoke up, finishing off the rest of his cookie.

"Hey! How come you get a cookie before dinner and I don't?" he exclaimed, staring at his father with a hurt look.

"Tommy, mum is on the phone, keep it down." Alfie scolded, cringing away from Amber's glare as she left the room for a quieter atmosphere.

"Dad, mum's not here anymore. Why don't I get a cookie?"

"Because I'm your father and I can do whatever I want."

"So you can give me a cookie?" Tommy grinned.

"No."

The grin dropped, replaced by a scowl as the dark-skinned boy left the room with a huff.

* * *

"KT!"

Amber was the first to wrap the American in a rib-crushing hug. The others got their turns and she motioned to the man behind her. His brown hair was brushed to the side and his matching brown eyes gleamed. His skin was tanned and he had a defined jaw and a long neck. He wore a pair of jeans and a dark blue dress shirt, the first three buttons undone. Amber was right when she said that he must be gorgeous, because he definitely was gorgeous.

"This is my husband, Derrek," she smiled.

He shook their hands and after brief greetings and small conversations, the party was led to their table by their waitress. She took their drink orders and left, leaving the group to chat.

"So, before we start this little party," Jerome started. "Mara's pregnant—boom!"

Mara slapped his arm with a giggle. And he shrugged with a grin.

"Oh my, gosh, congratulations, guys," KT smiled from across the table. "So is this number one, two?"

The table suddenly went deathly silent and Jerome downcast his eyes while Mara's happy grin dropped to a small, hesitant smile.

"Did I say something wrong?" she wondered, looking around the table.

"It's our, um," Jerome cleared his throat. "Second attempt,"

"'Attempt'…oh gosh, guys, I'm so sorry, I didn't know." She explained.

"No, it's okay, KT," Mara assured her.

"Let's not focus on her right now, let's just have some fun." Jerome told the group, running a hand sideways through his hair. He gripped Mara's hand under the table as the others slowly fell into conversation, telling stories about what had happened since KT had left the school.

* * *

KT stepped up to Jerome. He was cast out to the side of the group. He had chosen to leave for a second; he was glad to see Mara laugh so hard.

The American smiled up at him and he gave a hesitant one back.

"Her?" she spoke softly.

It took a moment before it clicked in Jerome's mind what she was talking about. He nodded somberly and she placed a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "It was a miscarriage. We didn't have enough time with her. She had four minutes, tops."

"I really am sorry for bringing it up; me and my big mouth. I wish I would've known; I wouldn't have said anything."

"I know." He replied, wrapping an arm around her to bringing her into a side hug, and they walked back to the group.

* * *

**Yeah, it was short, and absolutely horrible, like no interaction with anyone, just KT/Jerome friendship and Amfie family really...and like I said; it sucked eggs. **

**I have a question though; should Patricia and Eddie's baby be a boy or a ****girl? And should Mara and Jerome's baby be a boy or a girl? Review and let me know! :) **

**If you would like to see more of anything in particular; please let me know! **

_**But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31**_

**-Rachel**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright...enjoy! :)**

* * *

Mara gripped the steering wheel tightly and leaned back in the seat. Her eyes were shut and her lips were pressed together; trying to building up the strength to leave the car. Finally, she grabbed her bag and her guitar and locked the door; trekking up the green hill. She sat down on the grass and took a deep breath. She pressed a kiss to her fingers and touched the engraved name on the stone gently. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Lucy…" she choked out. "Sweetie, can I write you a song?"

She took out her guitar and strummed it slowly.

"Hey, Lucy, I remember your name…"

* * *

10…9…8…7…

Time went on; counting down, until the end.

His heart beat wildly in his chest.

6…5…4...

It was a race against time.

To save what he loved.

He went as fast as his body would let him. He pushed harder.

3…2…1…

"No!"

Eddie ran a hand through his sleep-ruffled hair, breathing heavily. His face and chest covered in a light sheen of sweat; he pushed the duvet away from him and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Eddie, are you okay?" Patricia's tired voice questioned from the other side of the bed.

He didn't say anything and she kneeled behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He breathed out slowly and leant back into her. He held onto her wrists around his neck, making sure she couldn't get away from him.

"What did you dream about?" she asked, pulling one of her hands away from his to comb through his hair.

"Do you even need to ask anymore?" he ground out.

Patricia sighed. "I'm okay. Lacey is okay. The baby is okay. Our friends are okay. We're all fine." She assured him, kissing his temple. "Come on; everything's okay; don't worry. Let's go back to sleep."

"I-I'm gonna go get a drink of water. I'll be back." He murmured, leaving her embrace and exiting the room without another word.

Once he had drunk two full glasses of water, he headed back upstairs. On the way down the hall to the master bedroom, he stopped at Lacey's bedroom door. He cracked it open, peeking into the dimly lit room. In the far corner, his daughter lay, sleeping soundly in her bed. He kneeled beside the bed and brushed her cheek with his finger.

"Don't worry, baby," he whispered.

He pecked her forehead and left the room, trudging back into his room. Patricia sat up in the bed and he smiled softly at her. He switched off the bedside table lamp and found her lips in the dark, giving her a long, slow kiss that told her how much he loved her.

* * *

"Mick, I wanted to talk to you." Joy said as her husband entered the house.

He appeared in the kitchen doorway a moment later and he smiled. "What about, Joyful?"

"Well, the whole baby thing." Mick froze from his place in front of the fridge. "I understand that you're scared and nervous and worried, but you don't have to be—everything would be okay! I think that we should start trying. Maybe not now but in a few weeks, I guess. Now, we need to compromise—"

"Joy, this isn't gonna work!" he interrupted.

"…what?" she whispered.

"This baby thing isn't gonna work. It's not gonna happen. I'm not scared. I'm not nervous. I'm not worried. I just don't want to talk about this anymore!" he cried, gripping the ends of his blonde hair.

"Mick, we're not even talking about it—"

"Then stop. Stop bringing it up, Joy. Please." He begged and then he was gone, the front door slamming a second later.

Joy sat at the counter and swallowed. His eyes; they had held such strong emotion through the argument. He was hurting. His heart was breaking. And Joy didn't have any clue why. She had never seen such emotion in those crystal blue eyes before and it tore her apart. Why did he feel that way about having a baby? There had been many times that Joy could have gotten pregnant, but they never did.

Why didn't he want a baby?

* * *

**So...some more Moy drama and some Peddie fluff-ish stuff...whatever you call that...and Mara went to visit Lucy! I think she's getting a bit stronger with the whole thing, yeah? What'd you think? :) Review...?**

_**Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. -Hebrews 12:1**_

**-Rachel**


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